Essay Midterm Essay

1)The subfields of anthropology seem quite diverse in their specific subjects and methods. Why, then, are they all considered parts of the single discipline of anthropology? What ties them together? Anthropology is an extensive discipline. It is so broad it had to be split into four subfields; Archeology, Biological (Physical), Cultural, and Linguistic anthropology. The definition of anthropology is â€Å"the holistic, scientific study of human kind† (Park, 2014). Parks (2014) states, every anthropologist wants to know why we have a tendency as humans to behave as we do, change constantly, have different cultural behaviors and the ability to constantly evolve. Anthropology answers these questions from the different subfields. â€Å"Archaeology examines our past ways of life through the interpretation of material culture, organic remains, written records, and oral traditions, Biological Anthropology deals with the evolution of the human body, mind and behavior as inferred through study of fossils and comparisons with behavior and anatomy of other primate species, Cultural Anthropology explores the diversity of existing human ways of life, how they work, how they change, and how they interrelate in the modern world and Linguistic Anthropology examines the structure and diversity of language and related human communication systems† (Sanoma State University, 2014). Even though the subfields seem quite diverse they do have similarities that tie them together. According to the American Anthropology Association (2014), â€Å"each subfield applies theories, employs systematic research methodologies, formulates and tests hypotheses, and develops extensive sets of data.† References â€Å"Anthropology: exploring the human in all of us.† (December 12, 2012). American Anthropological Association. Retrieved from http://www.thisisanthropology.org/about-anthropology Parks, (2014) Introducing Anthropology an Integrated Approach (6th ed), McGraw Hill education Sonoma State University, (March 5, 2014). Anthropology consist of four (some would say five) subfields. Retrieved from https://www.sonoma.edu/anthropology/home/subfields.html